Health sector continues to improve examination, treatment services

Doctors try to save patients at the Saint Paul Hospital in Ha Noi. The health ministry will continue to improve examination and treatment services, especially epidemic and disease prevention, improvement of service quality and reduction of hospital congestion. — Photo chinhphu.vn

HA NOI (VNS) — The health ministry will continue to improve examination and treatment services, especially epidemic and disease prevention, improvement of service quality and reduction of hospital congestion.

The ministry's Medical Service Administration official Luong Ngoc Khue told participants at a conference in Ha Noi on Monday that a series of measures will be implemented to reform the country's health examination and treatment system, such as the establishment of a hospital quality management system, and reforms in the examination process and administration procedures.

"Patients will be the core of the healthcare and treatment process," Khue stressed.

"We will undertake regularly inspections for ranking hospital levels following 83 criteria. Hospitals should continue to improve a health worker's service attitudes and behaviour to the satisfaction of patients from central to local levels," Khue said.

The director said that the ministry encourages the development of private hospitals and the public and private partnership model in the country.

Examination and treatment services would be developed towards universal healthcare coverage in combination with intensively and high-tech medical service extension.

The health ministry statistics showed that last year 1,300 hospitals in the country had provided examination and treatment services to more than 146 million patient visits, an increase of 4.5 per cent (6.3 million visits) compared to the previous year.

In 2015, the completion of many hospital buildings or upgraded projects have helped to increase bed numbers and contributed to reducing the hospital overload. The country has 32.1 beds per ten thousand patients, compared to 24.7 per ten thousand in 2012.

Last year, the satellite hospital system was continued to be developed, bringing the number of core hospitals to 15 and satellite hospitals to 53 in 37 provinces and cities nationwide. — VNS